Wsk Pzl Krosno KR-03A accident near Hilltown, Pennsylvania, October 11, 1998
On October 11, 1998 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Krosno KR-03A (glider), registered N408KP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hilltown, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia Gliderport airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of altitude/distance which resulted in an in-flight collision which trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 1998 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hilltown, Pennsylvania · Philadelphia Gliderport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Krosno KR-03A
- Registration
- N408KP · registry record · serial 0408KP
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider was in the traffic pattern for runway 1, a 2,450 foot long, turf runway. While on downwind, at about 2,000 feet above ground level, the pilot turned the glider back towards the runway. The pilot stated, '...I expected to make the field and was committed to that course. I flew into the trees, was stopped, and slid vertically down onto a pile of wood.' Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact abnormalities with the glider. Winds reported about 9 miles southeast of the airport at 1455 edt, were from 320 degrees at 11 knots, with 15 knot gusts.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 115 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 265 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1998; 138 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,190 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0PA0 at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 2,450 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from NXX, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.